Blog Tour Sign Up: Breaking the Rules by Cat Lavoie

Cat will be on tour in August/September with her debut chick lit novel Breaking the Rules. Please use the sign up form below if you would like to be included. ARC eBooks will be provided, and Cat will also be available for a guest post or interview. Book excerpts can be requested. I will contact everyone chosen to participate. Thank you!

When twenty-seven year old Roxy Rule’s best friend and roommate accepts a glamorous new job overseas, she expects their relationship to continue as it’s always been—carefree and easy—until they share a heart-stopping kiss.

While Ollie escapes to jolly ole England to live out his dream and save the planet with green architecture, Roxy is stuck in New York City working for a boss who makes her want to stab herself with a letter opener. She can’t bear to think about her own big-city dream of being a chef anymore. Over the years, her passion for food has only resulted in extra pounds and a staggering credit card balance for fancy kitchen equipment that she barely has time to use. Still, Roxy’s sure that nothing can come between two lifelong best friends—not even mild jealousy over a thriving career or a silly little kiss that meant nothing. In fact, it was such a meaningless and forgettable kiss that it’s not worth mentioning to her fiancé, not that he would even listen—all they do these days is argue about their upcoming wedding.

Roxy is faced with an unexpected family reunion when her younger sister Steffi arrives on her doorstep, six months into a pregnancy she refuses to discuss. When older sister Izzie—in the throes of a premature midlife crisis—joins them, she’s determined to crack the case of Steffi’s impending motherhood. With the Rule sisters living under the same roof again, Roxy’s quiet little apartment in the city is about to be anything but peaceful.

Roxy soon discovers that her seemingly idyllic relationship with Ollie started getting complicated way before he left for London. She must come to terms with her feelings for him, learn to stand up for herself and go after what she really wants.

Breaking the Rules is the story of what happens when you have to redefine the rules of love, friendship and family in order to find yourself.

What’s Your Number? by Karyn Bosnak

While I haven’t seen this movie, when I received a copy of the book I was looking forward to it. I had seen the previews and I thought Anna Farris (one of my favorite actresses) made this movie look hilarious! Well, I might have to watch the movie now after reading the novel, because it didn’t do much for me. The story is based on Delilah Darling, who is horrified after reading in the New York Post that the average person has 10.5 sex partners – and she’s just notched number twenty. On the brink of thirty, recently unemployed and now convinced she’s a mondo slut – Delilah is determined to find those past twenty guys and see which one is Mr. Right for her. She can’t get to twenty-one, that is just wrong. Someone in her past is the one for her – she just has to find him.

What’s Your Number? by Karyn Bosnak follows Delilah as she goes on a cross-country road trip searching for ex-boyfriends, old flames, and one-night stands. While parts were funny, the humor just wasn’t there for me. Delilah was loveable enough as a heroine, but for the most part I was just thinking she was missing a screw – no pun intended! The book was a really slow read for me, and I eventually starting skimming pages to keep it moving. I think I will still check out the movie sometime, but the novel definitely fell flat for me.

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Author Profile: Ella Slayne

Author Name: Ella Slayne

Website: http://www.highheelsandslippers.com

Author Bio: Ella Slayne is originally from the North of England, where she studied Drama at Manchester University. She went on to study acting at the Webber Douglas Academy before moving to live in Brussels with her family. Ella currently lives in the US where she juggles the joys of motherhood with her passion for writing.

Title: High Heels and Slippers

See my 4 star review of High Heel and Slippers!

 

Connect with Ella!

AUTHOR’S BLOG SITE
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
GOODREADS

GET THE BOOK:
BARNES & NOBLE
SMASHWORDS

Point Click Love by Molly Shapiro

A new one for the Favorites list! I adored Point, Click, Love, the debut from Molly Shapiro. I started this book one night while curled up in my chair, and after what felt like ten minutes I decided it was time for bed – and realized I was 61% finished with the book! This is an absolute gem, and one for your must-read list.

The story follows four friends as they deal with some tough issues. Katie is a divorced mother of two who uses the internet to get back in the dating game. She has decided she is over relationships and love, she just want some casual sex and companionship.  But it Kate really ready for the world of online dating – and does she really in heart want to stay single? Annie has come to Kansas City from New York to get away and do something different from all her classmates – who are now all crazy successful – and has decided she is going to have a baby on her own.  But when the sperm donor she wants isn’t giving the goods anymore, she takes matters in her own hands. Maxine has the perfect marriage – or so everyone on the outside thinks. She hasn’t even shared with her best friends that she and her husband have stopped having sex and she thinks he is having an affair. She turns to gossip sites and immerses herself in the celebrity world – until a wakeup call outside of Jennifer Aniston’s house brings her back to her own reality. And Claudia has become over-the-top angry with her husband, who has seemed to lose any motivation to try to find a job and is obsessed with sharing too many details of his life on Facebook. When a relationship with a co-worker goes too far, Claudia has to decide what she really wants from her marriage.

I thought this debut was fabulous. I loved each character and reading about how they went through their troubles, how they thought they could fix them, and what their end results were. I will say I didn’t think of them as friends so much, there was very little interaction between them, but I enjoyed their stories none the less. It was refreshing to have a novel set somewhere else than New York or LA, and this was set in Kansas City, which I loved. Annie’s story turned just a bit unbelievable with the sperm donor, but I still can’t give this any less than 5 stars. A great read that showcases powerful women, and a very modern tale about the times we live in now.

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Guest Post by Nancy Scrofano

Letting Characters Go

I love characters from my favorite TV shows, movies, and books, so I definitely fell in love with my own characters from my debut novel, True Love Way. I spent over two years with these characters, thinking about them, writing dialogue for them, and developing them. It was much more time than I had ever invested in characters from other works because there was one key difference. The characters in my novel are mine. It seemed like I would never be apart from them, since the writing and editing process was long and arduous. But when the day finally came to turn in my final version of my manuscript, I thought I was ready. I wanted to finally be through with two year’s work. I wanted to share these characters and their story with readers. However, I soon found myself thinking, so, that’s it? They’re gone? I didn’t have to create scenes for them anymore or come up with their lines or their personality traits. And to be honest, I was sad. I was also relieved, happy, excited, nervous, and the list goes on. It was a mix of emotions. I adore these characters, especially since they are in my first novel. They are the first group of characters that I brought to life in a full, complete published work.

The best way to move on from one book is to jump right into the next one, right? Wrong. For me, anyway. I tried to get started on my next book immediately after I turned in my final draft of True Love Way. I even wrote thirty five thousand words of a young adult novel while I was in the midst of trying to get True Love Way published. But something just wasn’t quite right. I wasn’t connecting with the new characters because I was still too focused on the characters from True Love Way. I hadn’t actually let them go, even though I was sure I had. It was just too soon.  And I think part of me didn’t want to let them go. I wondered if I would find the right mix of characters ever again. I was letting doubt take over. But eventually, in time, I was ready to create again. I cleared my head and to my surprise, when I wasn’t searching for new characters or forcing them, they found me. I’m getting to know a new group and loving them. It’s an exciting journey again, and I can’t wait to see where these new characters go and where the story takes them. I realized that sending characters on their way so they can entertain readers is actually a wonderful part of the publishing process. Hopefully, readers will love them like I do. And who knows? Maybe I’ll revisit the True Love Way characters someday to write a sequel.

Author Bio

Nancy Scrofano is the author of True Love Way and writes book reviews for a prestigious book review magazine. Additionally, she is the founder and managing editor of The Chick Lit Bee, a book blog that promotes and celebrates women’s fiction. Nancy is at work on her next novel. For more information, please visit http://www.nancyscrofano.com.

True Love Way by Nancy Scrofano

I was in a bit of a unique situation when I was asked to review True Love Way by debut writer Nancy Scrofano. I actually virtually be-friended Nancy via our blogs. She runs the fab site Chick Lit Bee. When Nancy had finished writing True Love Way, she asked me for a manuscript critique. I happily obliged, enjoyed her story, and was excited to see what happened next. My other good friend, Lucie Simone, runs an indie publishing company, Simon and Fig, and took on Nancy and her story. And…here we are! Nancy can now add “published author” to her long list of accomplishments. So, let me jump into my review.

The heroine of this story is Marlo Spencer, a retro-loving gal who is addicted to classic TV shows. And who has been holding out for her Mr. Wrong for too long. When high school boyfriend Josh finally reconnects with Marlo after twelve years of silence, Marlo doesn’t waste any time driving from Malibu to her hometown of Napa. Her best friend Nik makes the journey with, as his family and sister – Savannah, Marlo’s close friend – also still live in Napa. Marlo loves seeing Savannah and her daughter, as well as her parents, but she is really there for Josh. Could it be after all this time that they will finally get together? But Marlo’s happy homecoming doesn’t go anywhere near planned, when old secrets are revealed, friendships are tested, and Marlo figures out where her heart truly lies.

I thought this was a really fun chick lit read. Scrofano has a talent for creating characters, and I felt like Marlo and I could be pals. I even love me some I Love Lucy like she does. There was drama, romance, tears, and love. The only thing I didn’t like so much was that I felt the big secret was fairly obvious. I don’t want to give too much away, but I felt about five foreshadowing cases could have been removed so there was more of an actual shock when readers discover the secret. Other than, really great debut. I’ll be looking forward to more from Nancy Scrofano!

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Three Daves by Nicki Elson

Three Daves was such a fun book to read. I loved the throwback to the 80’s and Nicki Elson did a fantastic job with creating characters and situations. The story is set in 1986 and features Jennifer Whitney, who thinks of herself as the last American virgin. She is a sophomore at Central Illinois University, and getting a bit restless that she still has her V-card. But she doesn’t want to just give it up to just anyone and be coined a campus slut. And she also wants to feel somewhat experienced her first time. Readers follow Jen through her journey that features three Daves, three very different men in her life who will all leave an impact.

Even though this story is set in the 80’s, it had a very contemporary feel to it. The dialogue is very realistic, as is Jen’s inner turmoil and thoughts. This book read very fast for me, and is one that I would recommend to chick lit readers. There is a lot of profanity and use of the word “slut,” as well as some intense sex scenes that some may not enjoy, but they didn’t bother me. They were there for a reason and fit in smoothly with the story. I really enjoyed watching Jen and her journey with the three Daves, and was curious up until the end about how her story would close. I will look forward to more from Elson!

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Blog Tour Sign Up: Kat Fight by Dina Silver

Dina will be on tour in late July with her chick lit novel Kat Fight. Please use the sign up form below if you would like to be in the tour. eBooks copies will be provided and Dina will also be available for a guest post or interview. Book excerpts can be provided as well. I will contact everyone chosen to participate. Thank you!

The seriously funny, fabulously flawed Kat Porter has arrived, and she may just steal your heart—not to mention your boyfriend. Readers everywhere will revel in this sharp-witted, well-meaning whirlwind in author Dina Silver’s hilarious new novel, Kat Fight. In her quest for love, Kat makes every wrong turn, juggling two men, one best friend, and her own deeply confused heart’s desires.

Kat Porter is a consummate romantic, eager for her chance to find love and commitment. But after her boyfriend of four years, Marc, begins to grow apathetic and sends her calls straight to voicemail one too many times, Kat finally musters the courage to confront her so-called sweetheart, who seems more interested in dodging her than courting her. Though she’s no fan of ultimatums, Kat is at the end of her considerable wits, and lobs a massive one his way, completely confident that he’ll make the right decision when faced with losing her. He doesn’t.

With radio silence from Marc, Kat’s lifelong dream of finding a husband and forging a family is decidedly on the skids. That’s when her childhood friend Julie steps in, forcing Kat on a blind date to help her move beyond the break-up. Not only does Kat botch the setup, she instead finds herself in hot pursuit of Julie’s love interest, Ryan Sullivan. A man who, in addition to literally taking her breath away, is the living, breathing personification of everything Kat wants in a husband.

Can Kat connect with the man of her dreams without hurting two of the people she cares most about? At the same time, she must also contend with the quips of her beloved catty coworker Adam, her bi-polar boss Brooke, and a string of comic, unpredictable plot twists. All the while, Kat’s cheeky perspective and generous heart will leave readers adoring every moment of her journey while chuckling and cheering for the ever cute, razor-sharp Kat as she fights to land the love of a lifetime.

**Dina’s tour is now full. Thank you to everyone who signed up!**

Future Tour: Dancing Naked in Dixie by Lauren Clark

Lauren will be on tour June 11-July 2 with her chick lit novel Dancing Naked in Dixie.

Travel writer Julia Sullivan lives life in fast-forward. She jet sets to Europe and the Caribbean with barely a moment to blink or sleep. But too many mishaps and missed deadlines have Julia on the verge of being fired.

With a stern warning, and unemployment looming, she’s offered one last chance to rescue her career. Julia embarks on an unlikely journey to the ‘Heart of Dixie’—Eufaula, Alabama—home to magnificent mansions, sweet tea, and the annual Pilgrimage.

Julia arrives, soon charmed by the lovely city and her handsome host, but her stay is marred by a shocking discovery. Can Julia’s story save her career, Eufaula, and the annual Pilgrimage?

Please visit CLP Blog Tours for the full tour schedule! **Anyone who purchases their copy of Dancing Naked in Dixie before July 2 and sends their receipt to Samantha (at) ChickLitPlus (dot) com, will get five entries in a drawing to win a $10 Amazon gift card!!**

(Release date May 21)

All the Difference by Kaira Rouda

I absolutely loved Here, Home, Hope, the debut novel from Kaira Rouda. She embodied what I hope to do with my writing – inspire other woman. When Kaira asked me to host her at CLP Blog Tours for her second novel, I was blown away. Of course I was ecstatic, and I’m happy to report I highly enjoyed All the Difference. I thought this book was very different from her first, but to me it just showed the talent that Rouda possesses. The story is set in Grandville, and follows multiple characters in this suburban town. The main focus is three women – all with different stories, different problems, different lives – but one has turned to murder to get her way.  A suspenseful novel filled with hard-hitting decisions and scenarios, I was flipping frantically to the end to tie everything together.

I will say that at first the amount of characters overwhelmed me. There is a lot going on in this book, different viewpoints, stories, opinions, and in the beginning it was a lot to handle. I was able to adjust after the first few chapters, but that’s just my warning that the beginning my throw you off. Other than getting over that bump, I had a lot of fun with this story. Again, I thought it was a different direction for Rouda, and I loved the suburban mystery aspect. I will admit that I thought I knew which woman was the murderer – and I was totally wrong. I loved the little flashbacks that we got, how all the stories entwined together and I would recommend All the Difference!

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